tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post1701201862948985858..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Hungry DogsJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37732352258016185422013-03-24T03:50:24.836-05:002013-03-24T03:50:24.836-05:00Hi Joe,
Thanks very much for this post. It's ...Hi Joe,<br /><br />Thanks very much for this post. It's an eyeopener for me, as I'm just starting out as an indie author. Can anyone tell me who ENT are please? I've seen 'ENT' mentioned on this comment list as somewhere to announce free ebooks, but I've had no luck when I googled 'ENT'. Thanks in advance and good luck everybody.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />D. K. Janotta.D. K. Janottahttp://www.dkjanotta.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-74235647270415051152013-03-03T02:49:26.450-06:002013-03-03T02:49:26.450-06:00"And I know what I am talking about, believe ..."And I know what I am talking about, believe me, I'm right about most things.<br /><br />Unlike many of you I am extremely knowledgeable about search engines."<br /><br />hey anon 2:57 troll much?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71955105941346346732013-02-27T20:43:05.291-06:002013-02-27T20:43:05.291-06:00To increase the proliferation of ebooks and sales ...To increase the proliferation of ebooks and sales even more, offer really cheap, and even free, eReaders:<br /><br />http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/new-e-reader-for-under-13-from-txtr/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37008868382457234562013-02-25T14:58:15.966-06:002013-02-25T14:58:15.966-06:00JA Konrath:
What you promote here is bad advice f...JA Konrath:<br /><br />What you promote here is bad advice for some writers because for some types of books it's impossible, and you owe it to writers to warn them.<br /><br />It only works for writers like you "because certain readers of romance, crime, sci-fi, fantasy, erotica and other genre fiction are voracious readers and the most gluttonous are willing to take to forums and chatrooms to review new novels. Cheap books appeal to core readers, who can often get through several a week, and this combination created a new publishing economy...But the next Hilary Mantel or Ian McEwan will not self-publish, because the hardcore of fans necessary to make this approach work doesn't exist for literary fiction (it's too baggy a term to attract fans in that sense)."<br /><br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/feb/22/self-publishing-industry-outsourcing-problemAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71164850989517294462013-02-24T02:57:09.602-06:002013-02-24T02:57:09.602-06:00You don't agree with me? Well then your comme...You don't agree with me? Well then your comments are silly too. <br /><br />Everybody who disagrees with my stance regarding the Amazon search engine is simply wrong. <br /><br />Like I said, if Amazon made an actually decent search engine they could really rule. <br /><br />And I know what I am talking about, believe me, I'm right about most things. <br /><br />Unlike many of you I am extremely knowledgeable about search engines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45641493389196425222013-02-23T16:16:09.818-06:002013-02-23T16:16:09.818-06:00correction: "online"
-Chriscorrection: "online" <br />-ChrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72710073483123389472013-02-23T16:13:39.005-06:002013-02-23T16:13:39.005-06:00I've been a bookdealer and collector for 25 ye...I've been a bookdealer and collector for 25 years. I was there when Amazon first started off and have used them since day one (as well as many others onlnine).<br /><br /> Your statement is out of date by at least 5 years. I have found Amazon very good at what they do. <br /><br />-Chris<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24685102368205037322013-02-23T15:13:24.992-06:002013-02-23T15:13:24.992-06:00"Amazon is very good at making ebooks visible..."Amazon is very good at making ebooks visible. The bestseller lists, direct emails, Customers Also Bought, Hot New Releases, Movers and Shakers, Kindle Daily Deal, various ads and click-throughs--there may be no company in the history of the world that makes finding products easier than Amazon makes it."<br /><br />No, no, and no.<br /><br />Amazon probably has the worst search engine of any online book side, and considering bn.com that's pretty bad.<br /><br />All right well it may not be as bad as bn.com, but it's nothing compared to abe, alibris, bookfinder, many others.<br /><br />It's actually famously terrible, among book dealers and collectors. You can't find what you're looking for. If Amazon were to make a decent search engine that worked, they would take over the internet. But as it stands, no. Those comments are silly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24340342180493497772013-02-21T20:01:15.419-06:002013-02-21T20:01:15.419-06:00@Stella and @Jude...
Joe - apologies for taking t...@Stella and @Jude...<br /><br />Joe - apologies for taking this further off topic - <br /><br />BUT 'editing for authors' charges $.055 per word for development editing - that's $5,000 for 90,000 words. Really? <br /><br />I was seeking a suitable development editor recently - found one - but not at that cost!Johnhttp://www.johnhindmarsh.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78004156234371139292013-02-21T15:18:50.660-06:002013-02-21T15:18:50.660-06:00Joe, you have done an incredible service making yo...Joe, you have done an incredible service making your wealth of experience available to writers, and the generosity of spirit that entails really boggles the mind of a selfish bastard like myself. A lot of your insights and predictions seem spot on. There is, however, one major issue that worries me. The lack of quality control inherent in self-publishing is quickly creating a glut of bad writing that Kindle users have to sift through in order to get to the good stuff. <br /><br />People familiar with the horror genre will know that the huge success of writers like King and Straub in the 1970's caused a glut of lesser writers to get deals, resulting in major downturn in the genre that lasted through the 80's. Publishers couldn't give horror novels away.<br /><br />Wven though the ebook and KDP are revolutionizing publishing, I don't think the laws of supply and demand have changed.Mean Teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635990619960490383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-4467425930801166582013-02-21T13:54:56.080-06:002013-02-21T13:54:56.080-06:00@Stella Baker
Thank you very much! And, not to s...@Stella Baker<br /><br />Thank you very much! And, not to sound like a commercial, but as a techno-illiterati, getting an iMac last summer was the best investment I think I’ve ever made. My first book (pre-Mac) was difficult and expensive to produce. But between Scrivener and Pixelmator (about an $80 investment total)… I just wish I could write faster. Still hire an editor, though. No substitute for humans there. <br /><br />Sharper13xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275818335558623630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48692170113702488632013-02-21T13:03:08.380-06:002013-02-21T13:03:08.380-06:00@STH
Stephen, your covers absolutely do stand up ...@STH<br />Stephen, your covers absolutely do stand up as professional. I hadn't heard of Pixelmator; looked into it and, sadly, not even my cat will be able to use it as it is a Mac only program. (I'm a Windows girl.) Anyway, it appears to be quite similar to PhotoShop, though perhaps a bit easier to use...and certainly a lot cheaper! (Tho I got my PS really cheap student/faculty rate.) I'm starting to get pretty good with InDesign, but just for fun I'll have to look into Scrivener. Ah. I think I have a warped sense of what is fun.Stella Bakerhttp://www.stellabaker.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64325336480157998362013-02-21T12:32:34.408-06:002013-02-21T12:32:34.408-06:00"I read that article and laughed"
I'..."I read that article and laughed"<br /><br />I'm not sure I'd laugh to fast.I see Amazon potentially setting up a deal as follows. It sells a "new" ebook to a customer for $2.99. Amazon makes 30%, 90 cents. Later, the customer can sell the "used" ebook back to Amazon, say for 50 cents. Amazon then makes the used copy available for purchase on the product page as a "used" copy, say for $2.00. The new customer purchases the used copy because it's cheaper (simply a click on "Buy Used") On that sale, Amazon makes $1.50, which is more profit than it got on the initial sale. Sure, it may lose the opportunity to sell another new copy, but the used copy makes it more money anyway.<br /><br />Obviously there are legal issues but the logistics of working it into Amazon's store would probably be very simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71586044187477830282013-02-21T12:01:43.025-06:002013-02-21T12:01:43.025-06:00I agree, but that doesn’t mean it’s that hard. Esp...I agree, but that doesn’t mean it’s that hard. Especially for certain genres. I’ve also noticed that the quality of most Indie writer’s covers are jumping up. They may very well be paying a lot for them, I don’t know, but if you look at all those covers in the sigs on Kindle Boards, etc… for the most part, much better than a year ago. <br /><br />But certainly, one of the changes in the rapid evolution of diy publishing has been that the tools you need are cheaper and easier to use, even from just one year ago. Sharper13xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275818335558623630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-8467099219771990912013-02-21T11:19:41.361-06:002013-02-21T11:19:41.361-06:00Most of the DYI covers and formatting I've see...Most of the DYI covers and formatting I've seen scream "self-published" and "amateur." If you can do it as well as a major publisher, great. If not, I would recommend hiring professionals.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15792053039820370832013-02-21T09:10:33.726-06:002013-02-21T09:10:33.726-06:00Re: the conversation about production - one thing...Re: the conversation about production - one thing that I don’t understand. What is the big deal with this stuff?<br /><br />I have no natural abilities with computers. Basically a helpless fool who needs help the first time anything goes wrong. <br /><br />That said… formatting? Just use Scrivener. I know this program has been talked about before, but… it boils down to just one button. <br /><br />How easy is it? When I read over my day’s work on a WIP, I make it into an ebook to read it in bed on my iPad. It has a clickable ToC, all the bells and whistles and looks great (other than being unfinished and filled with typos). Time spent making the book? Under one minute.<br /><br />BTW the read-in-bed draft also has a cool cover that even the digitally-challenged like me can design with pixelmator ($39 dollar app.) Judge the quality for yourself here<br /><br /><a href="http://stephentharper.blogspot.com/2013/02/help-choose-book-cover.html" rel="nofollow">Judge the covers</a><br /><br />When it’s time to publish, that same button can create a perfect file for the paperback, Kindle, e-pub, ibook, and anything else. <br /><br />Anyway, the software costs $40. And seriously, if I can do it, so could your cat.<br /><br />Just saying. Sharper13xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275818335558623630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-26381013762989257262013-02-21T04:51:12.318-06:002013-02-21T04:51:12.318-06:00Rob said :" "According to a recent artic...Rob said :" "According to a recent article in PW, Amazon and other retailers might eventually start selling used ebooks."<br /><br />I read that article and laughed. The writer is purely speculating, based on a patent application. He has absolutely no clue what Amazon plans to do."<br /><br />I agree. Wait and see on that one. How will Amazon allow DRMed ebooks of big publishers to be copied for resale ? It seems incoherent. <br /><br />The whole thing seems to be just a scarecrow to me.Alan Spadehttp://emmanuelguillot.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70198762921932930272013-02-20T22:21:49.649-06:002013-02-20T22:21:49.649-06:00I don't know who's paying that for formatt...<i>I don't know who's paying that for formatting, but they're getting ripped off.</i><br /><br />You can pay less than $300 for formatting, or you can pay more. Joe says he gets the premium service from 52 Novels, which is $750.<br /><br />If you can do everything yourself, that's great. Most people can't, at least not with professional looking results. I think your covers are first-rate, Rob, but not everyone has that talent.<br />Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43234254504744825032013-02-20T22:21:41.829-06:002013-02-20T22:21:41.829-06:00@Joe Joe has it right, but doesn't see it fr...@Joe Joe has it right, but doesn't see it from all angles.<br /><br />That came out wrong. Joe knows this business. That's a given to all who come here to learn. The changes he sees are constant, and he strives to keep ahead of the curve. He shares what he knows to all who come here, and he's still learning.<br />That's what I should have said. "And he's still learning." Joe has it right, and he’s still learning.<br /><br />The heat of the post. My bad.<br /><br />The point I was making is the same point Joe has made in the past, which is write a better book. <br /><br />To those who worry about investing heavily in this business, and not recouping your investment, those worries have merit. However, I’m a firm believer that all writers should invest in themselves, first. Learn the craft, and then learn the craft from a business POV. <br /><br />Not all of us can spend money to make money, but we can make our own luck. When we invest in ourselves first, we maximize our luck.<br /><br />Each book you give away using Joe’s advice is a reader, not a writer. It seems to me he’s advocating a rifle approach to marketing, rather than a shotgun approach.Ripley Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10057163192303993783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-49777936014977861392013-02-20T21:58:37.779-06:002013-02-20T21:58:37.779-06:00"Formatting $300"
I don't know who&..."Formatting $300"<br /><br />I don't know who's paying that for formatting, but they're getting ripped off.<br /><br />Here's a tip. Write and format your manuscript in Word or OpenOffice exactly the way you'd like to see it in your ebook. Then import it into Calibre and convert it to mobi and/or epub.<br /><br />It's that simple. Works fine for me. Costs me about an hour of my time.<br /><br />Oh, and $2,000 for an New York quality edit? What's a New York quality edit? I'm not sure I know. I've had good editors and I've had bad editors with the big six. It all comes down to the luck the draw.Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12785299355462748009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28323841759595133852013-02-20T21:54:07.683-06:002013-02-20T21:54:07.683-06:00"You forgot about formatting and editing, Rob..."You forgot about formatting and editing, Rob."<br /><br />I format the book myself and a friend—another writer who has a keen eye for story and character—edits for me and I do covers for her. Quid Pro Quo.<br /><br />But even if you do pay for editing, you're still talking about a thousand to fifteen hundred a book. That's a very small investment for the potential return. At 70%, you're likely to make that back fairly quickly.Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12785299355462748009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48051165036763176422013-02-20T21:49:33.615-06:002013-02-20T21:49:33.615-06:00"According to a recent article in PW, Amazon ..."According to a recent article in PW, Amazon and other retailers might eventually start selling used ebooks."<br /><br />I read that article and laughed. The writer is purely speculating, based on a patent application. He has absolutely no clue what Amazon plans to do.<br /><br />This, to my mind, was simply a troll article, meant to solicit hits for PW and get the writing community in an uproar.Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12785299355462748009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-58255628559854597822013-02-20T18:58:54.955-06:002013-02-20T18:58:54.955-06:00Merrill asked:
I'm curious to know what a &qu...Merrill asked:<br /><br /><i>I'm curious to know what a "used ebook" is and how they intend to sell it, as well as who will be allowed to sell it</i>.<br /><br />An article answers:<br /><br />"...essentially, if you own an ebook, you would theoretically be able to put it up for sale on a secondary market."<br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/used-ebooks-the-ridiculou_n_2661061.htmlEwolfe357https://www.blogger.com/profile/13231158280869354250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5590604940050641242013-02-20T14:34:31.929-06:002013-02-20T14:34:31.929-06:00Hi Joe,
I just wanted to let you know that I love...Hi Joe,<br /><br />I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog -- and not that you need the plug or anything, but I've mentioned your blog on mine at http://martatandori.blogspot.ca. The entry is called "The Business of Writing" and your blog's at numbered paragraph 3. I wish you continued success!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11939018457984947907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-2601604140147446692013-02-20T13:18:36.841-06:002013-02-20T13:18:36.841-06:00I'm curious to know what a "used ebook&qu...I'm curious to know what a "used ebook" is and how they intend to sell it, as well as who will be allowed to sell it.Merrill Heathhttp://merrillheath.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com